The Cambridge Comrades
by RavenclawLupin11
Summary: AU set in the school year 1978-1979 in which the marauders and Lily are in Cambridge university and how they all became friends. Rated T for language and sexual innuendos.
1. James Ignotus Potter

A/N: This is a Marauder AU in which the boys and Lily are attending Cambridge university. It's the story of how all of them became friends in their Freshman year. I'm rating it T for language and some sexual innuendos. Please review!

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><p><strong>RavenclawLupin11 presents:<strong>

**The Cambridge Comrades**

**Chapter 1: James Ignotus Potter**

He was dynamic. A rugby player in senior high, he was the large, athletic type. He also sang in the chorus, played the lead roles in two musicals, and was president of the drama club his senior year. He enjoyed being in large social groups, wore expensive designer shoes and made sure his trousers were always properly pleated. Standing at 6 foot tall he was, as the American's say, 'a tall drink of water' with ink black, untidy hair and hazel eyes. His only fault was that he was plagued with poor eyesight since the age of six and was forced to wear round, black spectacles every waking moment. He hated people who slouched, maths class and plaid. The fact that he made it into Cambridge came to no surprise to anyone. He was exceedingly bright, with an Intelligence Quotient of 135. He wasn't quite sure of his major at the moment, but that was alright. He was only eighteen. He had the next four years to find out where he belonged in this world. One thing he did know though, was that he needed friends; find a fraternity, join a club, become a member of a sports team, anything.

Standing in front of his dormitory door, he watched dozens of students say goodbye to their parents, with flowing tears and loud sobs. His parents hadn't seen him off to his first day of school since he was seven, and he hadn't expected them to this year. In fact, they made their chauffeur Oliver drive him there this morning and help him unpack. Carrying his two suitcases in his hands, he walked towards his room assignment with a purpose. After he had climbed the four flights of stairs, he had began the search for his room number. Seeing all of the brightly colored name tags on the doors, really made him cringe. What made him cringe even more was the fact that his name tag was in bright blue and pink plaid. He nearly threw up in his mouth.

Opening the door, he found the room empty. Well, almost empty. There were two mattresses sitting on identical oak bed frames, two oak desks, one closet with two sliding doors on it and one vanity table with a mirror above it. The walls were pristine white painted brick, the ceilings a grey concrete and on the floor was an explosive orange shag carpet that made him want to puke on sight. His roommate must not have arrived yet as both beds were empty. Snagging the bed further away from the door, he began hanging his clothes in the right side closet. His shirts were all in dry cleaning bags and his trousers all neatly folded over thin, wire hangers. He unpacked his best pair of Oxfords and slid them under his bed, still wrapped up in the tissue paper in their box. Once all of his clothes were unpacked, he pulled out the sheets and blanket his mother had packed. The sheets were a crisp white, the duplicate of his sheets at home. The blanket was a quilt his grandmother had made for him years ago and had a slight red hue weaved into it. Next, he moved to the small, wooden desk. It faced the wall, perpendicular to the large window. The latter backed wooden chair looked uncomfortable and made his bum hurt just looking at it. A chair cushion was in order. Above the desk top were some oak wooden shelves nailed into the brick walls. He unpacked some photographs from his other suitcase and placed them one by one on the top shelf. One was of him, his mother Dorea and father Charlus on the banks of their summer home in the south of France. Another photo was of his cousin Aline when she graduated Kindergarten last year. She had been so happy and excited, she had sent him a photo with a letter in the post. The third was his rugby team photo from last fall. On the desk he placed his pen holder, a stapler, his lamp and a stack of lined notebook paper. In the desk drawer he placed extra pens and pencils, staples and paper. He'd need a big lamp for the corner next to his bed so he could read at night.

Seeing that he was basically unpacked, he decided to take a gander at the rest of the campus. Walking back down the stairs and out of the dormitory door, he took a left. He found a small chapel, the eating hall, the auditorium and a large gymnasium with extensive match grounds beyond it. He took a flyer from the auditorium for the fall play: The Importance of Being Earnest. Oscar Wilde. No one made him feel more unpleasant . He stopped into the eating hall to scope out the seating areas and food stands. There were a myriad of foods available; pizza, Italian, Chinese, then the boring English food. There was a nice beverage cart, including a tea kettle for those college students who still drank tea at four o'clock like they were at home. Reaching into his pocket for his cash, he found his wallet fat with bills. Charlus had made sure his son had enough money to buy his supplies. Seeing the campus store, he stopped in and ordered his books.

Paying the surly man, whose name tag said 'Argus Filch,' he set out for his room again to put his books on the shelves. There were many more students on the grounds this time around. He had to fight his way through the throngs of people to get to his room. There, he sighed in relief of the silence. Flopping onto his neatly made bed, he began to flip through the volumes for his classes. So absorbed he was in the pages, he didn't hear his roommate enter.


	2. Sirius Orion Black

A/N: This is a Marauder AU in which the boys and Lily are attending Cambridge university. It's the story of how all of them became friends in their Freshman year. I'm rating it T for language and some sexual innuendos. Please review!

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><p><strong>RavenclawLupin11 presents:<strong>

**The Cambridge Comrades**

**Chapter 2: Sirius Orion Black  
><strong>

He was a bad boy. Dressed in black leather boots, dark wash jeans that hugged his ample bum, a white V-neck collar and a leather jacket, there was no denying that face. He smoked unfiltered cigarettes like a chimney, his hair was usually long and stringy and his sapphire colored eyes always looked bright, despite being dark. He was pretty sure the only reason he made it into Cambridge was because his parents paid off the admissions office. His parents had more money than God, and flaunted it like no one's business. Everyone in the London area knew the names of Orion and Walburga Black and feared them. Rightly so too, as they had forced out many of their poor, third class tenants for the lack of rent payments. Sirius had hated them and the aristocratic bull they were so happily proud of. He was afraid his brother would fall into their trap, now that he had left for university. Regulus wasn't as free spirited and was doted upon by their mother. Being the youngest, he had no qualms knowing Regulus was the favorite. Hence why they weren't here today. Sirius had ridden his motorbike to the campus, with his suitcases tied to the back. Now, he stood looking at the dormitory he was to stay in, sighing inwardly at the ugly 30's style facade. 1830's that is.

Walking up the stairs, he found his room. A bloke named James was his roommate. Opening the door he saw that said roommate had already been here. But was nowhere to be found. James' bed was neatly made, his desk in pristine shape. Even some photos sat on the top shelf. Peeking into the closet he saw that James was a fan of button up shirts, pleated trousers and Oxford shoes. Great. His roommate was a stuck up rich boy.

Turning to his lumpy looking mattress, he opened his suitcase and pulled out his rumpled up sheet. It was old, yellowing and about three fibers away from falling apart. He hadn't been able to bring his silk sheets from the house, per his mother's instructions. His blanket too, was as old as his family and looked like it had dried puke on the corner. Stooping to sniff it, there was no doubt that it was. He laid the blanket on the bed, before unpacking his clothes. The vanity in the middle of the room had some drawers in it. Opening the top he found rolled white socks and black knickerbockers. Shutting that drawer, he opened the second. Empty. Refolding his white tees and jeans, he set them in the drawer. The third drawer was filled on the right half with a long, suede coat. Seeing that there was room on the left side, he placed his second leather jacket in it and closed that drawer. In the closet, he hung up some of his nicer shirts. A deep purple silk button up, and his tan tweed suit. He only had one pair of boots so he didn't have to worry about that. He didn't have much to set up on the desk, so he slid the now empty suitcases under the bed, ran a comb through his long dark hair, and left the room for a smoke.

Nothing made him feel more awkward than seeing loving parents with their equally loving children. His family had never been the loving kind. At family reunions, his aunts, uncles and cousins spent the whole time criticizing people in the same social circle as them, insulting other family member's clothing choices and being all out awful. Only two family members were somewhat pleasant and he stuck to them like glue. In fact, when his uncle Alphard passed away last year, all of the estate and money had gone to him. He was happy about it, and had used that money to invest in the stocks. He made triple what was left to him, and pulled out the same year. That money would go towards books, and new shoes. Maybe he could snag new sheets and bedspread. Finding himself a smoking area, he lit the fag and inhaled, his brain and nerves thanking him with the first drag. Somehow, no one in his family knew he liked to smoke. He hid it well. And even though he smoked, his teeth were pristine white. In school he wasn't into sports, or clubs or plays. He rarely spoke in classes, and had few friends. But everyone knew that the eldest Black was very smart. Every test he passed with A's, every essay he turned in was written in perfectly slanted, elegant script. For being such a bad boy, he liked to be neat. He didn't like messy or untidy clothes or hair. He also despised preps, girls who twirled their hair and perky people in the AM hours. Anyone too happy before 11AM, he barked at using harsh tones and colorful language. Often, when his temper flared, the words he used made his mother wash his mouth out with soap. To this day he couldn't look at Irish Spring without cringing. His fag was almost out so he threw it on the concrete pad and stomped on it.

Deciding to sit down and people watch, he crossed his right ankle over his left leg. He saw many females do double takes in his direction, but he didn't care in the slightest. They were all overly made up, blonde preps who wore skirts far too short. There were a lot of richie rich boys with parents who drove limousines and Rolls Royce's. That made his eyes roll. Out of the corner of his eye he saw a flash of wool that made his head turn. A thin, sickly looking boy wearing a checkered brown wool cardigan and tan trousers walked passed him. He was weighed down with about a dozen thick books and papers, his hair was a sandy brown and greying and his eyes. Oh those fathomless brown eyes looked so tired and old. He made a mental note to find this boy again, as the boy disappeared around the corner. Getting up, he brushed off his jeans and turned to go back into the dorm. Opening his room, he saw that his roommate James had returned. He wasn't exactly what was expected. Yes, James was dressed like a stuck up rich kid, but the untidy hair that turned the young aristocrat off so much, offset the crisp, clean look. James' legs were long, his hands slender, and perched on the bridge of his nose were a pair of round glasses.

Clearing his throat Sirius spoke for the first time that day. "Hello, I'm Sirius Black."


	3. Remus John Lupin

A/N: This is a Marauder AU in which the boys and Lily are attending Cambridge university. It's the story of how all of them became friends in their Freshman year. I'm rating it T for language and some sexual innuendos. Please review!

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><p><strong>RavenclawLupin11 presents:<strong>

**The Cambridge Comrades**

**Chapter 3: Remus John Lupin  
><strong>

He didn't know how he had managed to scrape his way into Cambridge University. This was a prestigious school for prestigious students of parents with prestigious pockets full of millions of pounds. His parents had died when he was young, leaving him to his aunt and uncle. They were wealthy enough to make sure he was never in want of anything but his chronic illness always made him miss school. A lot of school. So much school that he had worried he wouldn't have graduated. But he had and had been accepted to Cambridge on a grant from the city of London. He had stopped by the campus store and bought of all of his books last week. His aunt and uncle had helped him move in yesterday afternoon. Now he was hurrying around the campus, his nose stuck in his schedule, trying to find his classes for Monday. He didn't really like the idea of being late for his first day of classes. His major was currently Political Science but he was sure that was going to change six times before he graduated.

He straightened his cardigan before stepping into the library. Having finding his classes on the map, he decided to take a gander into the prestigious St. John's old library, one of the 114 on the campus. It was huge. The library in the Titanic probably didn't look this beautiful. There were three levels, each with wall to wall shelves filled to the brim with books. Large encyclopedia's, gargantuan dictionaries and piles upon piles of novels. In the center, hanging from the ceiling was a crystalline chandelier, on the floor beneath it were six desks and two large maple tables. Knowing that he would be spending 99% of his time in this room, he turned his penny loafer clad feet around and walked out to see other buildings. His roommate was a small, plump boy with watery eyes and blonde hair. Peter was nice enough but he asked far too many questions and wasn't great company. Walking around the campus center, he passed the most beautiful person he had ever seen. Clad in leather boots and tight jeans, he knew that this person was a person not to be messed with or crossed. The leather clad boy was the kind to pay him for notes and homework. Making sure he kept his eyes forward, he walked around the building quickly. Once out of eyesight of the leather boy, he leaned against the stone building and tried to correct his breathing. No one knew he was partial to men. And he really didn't fancy anyone finding out here that he did. He would be ridiculed and alone for the rest of his days.

Sitting on the grass, he became lost in his thoughts. In a perfect reality, he'd have no problem voicing his thoughts to others. He'd have plenty of friends and would be popular. He'd be active in sports and clubs. He'd be normal. But this reality wasn't perfect and he was far from normal. He had cancer. Cancer that was killing him. It would be soon that he wouldn't be able to use his manhood, soon his testicles would have to be removed. No one but his immediate family knew about his disposition but he decided that he wasn't going to get close to anyone for fear of making them sad and upset when he died. And he knew it would be soon. There were certain things he did like in people though. He liked people who love books, red hair, firm handshakes and throaty laughs. People didn't always realize that even the quiet and resigned had things they didn't like. For example, he didn't particularly like people who were good at everything without trying, rich snobby children and pork chops. Just the thought of riding in a crowded elevator made him sweat bullets.

Feeling his heart rate had returned to normal, he stood and began the long trek back to his dormitory. Hopefully Peter had fallen asleep, or off of a cliff, he didn't care which. At the entrance to his dorm, he saw a red headed girl who seemed to be lost and confused. She had dropped all of her books and some of the older kids were teasing her. Just like senior high, the smart ones were singled out. He thought everyone here was smart and therefore shouldn't be making fun of a small freshman girl. Walking up to the cult of boys, feeling much braver than he really was, he pulled the biggest off of her by the back of the collar. The big boy turned around and instead of telling him off like expected, he punched him in the face. Then the boys began laughing at his bloody, broken nose. There was a teacher who scolded the boys then helped the red headed girl and himself to the infirmary.

The buildings all looked the same on the outside. Grey and brown stone, with architecture from the late Renaissance period.

His first day at university, and he was already laying in a sick bed. That had to be some kind of record. His nose wasn't broken, the nurse said, but it was very sore. They got the bleeding to stop and put a bandage over it to stop the swelling. The red headed girl was standing outside the office when he walked out. She stood, slinging her bulging messenger bag over her shoulder as she smiled at him and held out her hand to shake his. He did and despite her small frame, she shook his hand very firmly.

"Thank you for helping me," she said in a melodic alto. "I'm Lily Evans."

Remus cleared his throat before replying. "Remus Lupin," he said and smiled back at what he knew was his first prestigious friend.


	4. Lily Harriet Evans

A/N: This is a Marauder AU in which the boys and Lily are attending Cambridge university. It's the story of how all of them became friends in their Freshman year. I'm rating it T for language and some sexual innuendos. Please review!

* * *

><p><strong>RavenclawLupin11 presents:<strong>

**The Cambridge Comrades**

**Chapter 4: Lily Harriet Evans**

She groaned as her parents fawned over her. Sometimes they could really make her blood boil with their overindulgence. Her sister Petunia wasn't treated this way when she went off to Oxford. Probably because her sister's boyfriend Vernon had been there at the time and they didn't want to make a scene in front of him. Her sister didn't even say goodbye to her younger sister when she left. Of course, the older sister had her nose stuck up in the air thinking that her stool didn't stink. Her parents were now crying over her as she attempted to break away from them to stop the embarrassing stares she was getting from the upper classmen. Finally, bidding their farewells Gregory and Rose Evans made their way home leaving their daughter to her own vices. She went up to her dormitory to find her room assignment. Seeing her name on the board, she took the letter and number connected to it, and saw her room was on the second floor. There was only one set of marble stairs to the upper dorm rooms, so she lugged her suitcases up the flight to find her room. There were girls crawling everywhere and she had to maneuver her way tediously to find her room number. Opening up the door, she found her roommate had already showed up. Smiling to the other girl, she set to work unpacking immediately. Her flowing dresses were hung in the cramped closet, her slim heels were placed on the floor under the dresses. In the top drawer she put her unmentionables. Somehow unpacking her clothes went faster than she had thought. On her desk she sat a small lamp, with a funky pattern on the shade. Then sat down to meet her new roommate.

She found out Marlene McKinnon was the heiress of a very prominent Manchester family. Her whole family had graduated from here so it was no surprise to them that she made it into the school. Marlene had brown hair that stopped at her jawline, her dark blue eyes were sparkling and her smile was wide and pearly white. Marlene complained of being tired so she went off to bed, so the small red head decided to walk around the school to see what was in each of the large buildings. She made sure to find at least one library, the dining hall and the campus store. She picked up her books from the aforementioned campus store and put them in her messenger bag.

On her way back to the dormitory to drop them off, she dropped her books after some upper classman knocked them out of her hand. She looked up and what looked like the whole fraternity was standing above her and laughing. One boy knocked me down on the ground and were ripping pages out of her books. She had been at college for a whole two hours and already she was being picked on by the older kids for carrying a lot of books. Suddenly the big man was pulled off of me by someone. She didn't see who that person was but did hear a crack and saw a lot of blood. The boys were told off by a professor and the two of them were taken to the infirmary by him. She was checked over by the nurse and was pronounced with a clean bill of health. She left the infirmary room and sat outside in the waiting reception area for the boy who saved her.

She peeked into the window and saw him lying there, presumably sleeping on the bed. He looked peaceful lying there. His face was pallid and thin. His sandy brown hair already streaked with grey. He was wearing a wool cardigan which was something she didn't see often. In Bethnal Green where she grew up there was a boy who had been more of an annoyance than a friend, but she saw him nearly everyday in school. Severus was also pallid and thin like this boy, but he had dark, greasy hair that fell into his face. Severus had never come to her rescue at school when the older boys would tease her, he was always being teased with her. Severus wore old, ratty, sometimes stained clothes that were too big on him. Though this boy's clothes were rumpled, she could tell they were clean and freshly bought. Severus wasn't all that great looking of a bloke if she was going to be honest with herself. This boy wasn't what she would normally go for, but he had a nice enough looking face. She could tell that with his eyes open they would be brown and if he smiled, it would brighten up his face tenfold.

The boy stirred and she quickly sat back down on her chair to avoid being caught staring. Her bag sat bulging on the floor next to her chair. After a few minutes the pallid boy emerged and she stood to greet him. He shook her hand with gusto as Lily introduced herself. "I'm Lily Evans."

He cleared his throat and replied, "Remus Lupin."

Lily released his hand and put a lock of her red hair behind her ear. "I wanted to thank you for rescuing me."

Remus blushed a little. "I know what being picked on is like and I felt like I had to stop them from hurting you." He glanced at her large, full bag. "Have any of your books been maimed?"

She shook her head but smiled. "You appreciate books too?"

He nodded vigorously and for the first time his face lit up. It changed his appearance drastically. She knew from that moment on, they'd be great friends.


End file.
